This morning didn't get off to a good start at all, unlike yesterday. To begin with I had no toast to enjoy and the weather was really horrible. Sophie was in a foul mood and kept Mikey and I waiting while she fiddled with her hair, and then moaned because it was going to get wet in the torrential (and I mean torrential) rain. Driving to school and work was like going out at dusk, it was so dark and gloomy!
I had a busy day and spent most of my time sorting out paperwork and throwing out letters and invoices, some of which were dated 2002! Where have all the years gone! Also, I can hardly believe it will be February on Saturday!
It was bliss to get home at a reasonable hour and sit and watch Neighbours...which reminds me, we still haven't see our new ones. Keith did speak to the man on Friday afternoon to say hello but that's it. I haven't set eyes on either of them and I don't think we're going to be on as friendly terms with them as we are with Sarah and Liam and Paul and Sue. I did have a feeling before they moved in that they would keep themselves to themselves and my prediction is proving very correct.
I'm not for one minute expecting to be bosom buddies with them, but at the moment I get the feeling that they are purposely avoiding us. I could be wrong (it's been known to happen) but if that's the case then I'd be very disappointed as it's always lovely to meet new people and welcome them to the neighbourhood. As I said, our houses are very close, we share a driveway and we need to be able to get on and be, at the very least, civil.
I did laugh while watching Neighbours (it's the only soap I watch and I've stuck with it ever since it first started despite some very dodgy storylines!) as new neighbours have appeared in the series. Somebody saw movement in a house that is up for rent but no-one has been seen so naturally everyone is curious as to who it is and speculation is rife!
Anyway, on the bright side at least I won't have to look after a Gecko this summer!
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Monday, 27 January 2014
Clear out!
My Monday morning got off to a good start when I made myself some toast from the bread I made yesterday. There's something very satisfying from eating bread you've made yourself - taking a heap of dry ingredients and seeing them turn into a lovely wholemeal loaf. I took the rest of the bread into work to make sandwiches for all of us so that saved us money as well!
We cleared out one of our storerooms today and threw a lot of old stuff away that we'd been keeping. We're very good at this, I have to admit. Things that have stopped working or "could come in useful" are stored in a large cupboard and there was so much stuff in there that there was a risk they'd fall off the shelves! I found a big box of papers that were out of date so I'll be doing a lot of shredding in the next couple of days. It felt good to clear everything out though and the cupboard was very tidy when we'd finished...it'll stay that way until the staff go back in there and start rummaging around!
It was off to the gym after work and I did 30 minutes exercise on the treadmill and the bike, but I didn't do any weights as I was a little worried that I'd feel light-headed again. However, I felt fine after the exercise and we even managed to have a short swim before relaxing in the spa. On Wednesday it'll be back to normal with a double set of weights to make up for not doing it today!
We cleared out one of our storerooms today and threw a lot of old stuff away that we'd been keeping. We're very good at this, I have to admit. Things that have stopped working or "could come in useful" are stored in a large cupboard and there was so much stuff in there that there was a risk they'd fall off the shelves! I found a big box of papers that were out of date so I'll be doing a lot of shredding in the next couple of days. It felt good to clear everything out though and the cupboard was very tidy when we'd finished...it'll stay that way until the staff go back in there and start rummaging around!
It was off to the gym after work and I did 30 minutes exercise on the treadmill and the bike, but I didn't do any weights as I was a little worried that I'd feel light-headed again. However, I felt fine after the exercise and we even managed to have a short swim before relaxing in the spa. On Wednesday it'll be back to normal with a double set of weights to make up for not doing it today!
Sunday, 26 January 2014
Birthday boy!
This morning, in an attempt to make up for last night's dismal dinner, I cooked a family breakfast to celebrate Mikey's 14th Birthday. The day was shaping up to be a truly horrible one with strong winds and a cold, driving rain. The sort of Sunday I truly hate!
After we took Sophie into work Keith and I popped into Booker to buy some chicken for dinner and on the way we called into our new rival's play centre on Riverside. As all parking on the approach roads has now been stopped I wanted to see what they were doing, which was not a lot. There was a man in a fluorescent yellow jacket talking to a couple of drivers but it was obvious that their car park was full and we saw several cars leave. No wonder we've been so busy over the last couple of weekends! Their customers look like they're coming to us instead!
Mum and dad came over to see Mikey in the afternoon and we shared a cake (not baked by me!), most of which was eaten by the Birthday boy! Although he has lost a fair bit of weight lately, his love for chocolate has not diminished!
P.S...I still haven't seen the neighbours.
After we took Sophie into work Keith and I popped into Booker to buy some chicken for dinner and on the way we called into our new rival's play centre on Riverside. As all parking on the approach roads has now been stopped I wanted to see what they were doing, which was not a lot. There was a man in a fluorescent yellow jacket talking to a couple of drivers but it was obvious that their car park was full and we saw several cars leave. No wonder we've been so busy over the last couple of weekends! Their customers look like they're coming to us instead!
Mum and dad came over to see Mikey in the afternoon and we shared a cake (not baked by me!), most of which was eaten by the Birthday boy! Although he has lost a fair bit of weight lately, his love for chocolate has not diminished!
P.S...I still haven't seen the neighbours.
Saturday, 25 January 2014
Dinner disaster!
Today has been very busy and despite Keith and I being in and out (almost constantly it seemed!) we have not seen our new neighbours. I had just had a shower when Sue popped over to, ahem, lend me a book on bread making, but we all know she really came over to see if we had any gossip, bless her! I couldn't give her any! Bailey ate all the cat food, we had a quick chat and then I carried on getting ready to go to Meerkat Harborough with Sophie.
I thought today was mild but we received a shock when we got out of the car and walked into the town! Market Harborough is always windy but today it was really blustery and it was a relief to go into Caffe Nero and have a drink and a cake. Afterwards, while Sophie made her usual visit to New Look I went into Tesco to buy a Birthday cake for Mikey (he'll be 14 tomorrow) and to get some flour as I intend to bake some bread this weekend.
The main point of coming to the town today was to go and see Duncan who was hosting a Burns Night whisky tasting. He had said on Facebook that if you turned up wearing something tartan then you'd get a bigger measure! We obviously made for the Edinburgh Woollen Mill where I managed to bag a Campbell tartan scarf that actually went well with the top I was wearing!
I thought the shop would be busy with people sampling some fine Scottish whiskies but it was pleasantly quiet and we spent a very agreeable half hour tasting (despite the tartan I asked for a small measure as I was driving) and chatting to Duncan and Nick. Duncan had entered into the spirit of things by wearing a kilt and he looked great!
I bought a bottle of Highland Park whisky from Orkney with my Birthday money. Of the three I tried it was the most delicious being slightly peaty and sweet. Strangely enough, I'm now a convert to having a tiny drop of water added to it. The water really brings out the aromas and softens the taste. I also treated myself to one of Duncan's gorgeous red wines, the Chateau du Donjon which is a whopping 14.5% alcohol!
We popped back to the car with our purchases and then walked over to the Joules shop as I wanted another bottle of body wash (Sue had bought me one and I love the fragrance and frothy bubbles) but the shop was closed for refurbishment. Deciding to call it a day we drove home (via Waitrose and Draughton) and I'm glad we did as about twenty minutes after we arrived we had the most violent thunderstorm with torrential rain, hail and strong winds. We saw flashes of lightening and heard booms of thunder which was really strange as I don't think I've ever witnessed a storm like that in winter.
This morning Keith had had a bet using £20 worth of vouchers that Mum and Dad had given him for Christmas. He'd managed to turn the £20 into just over £50 so he was very pleased! We popped over to the shop to claim the money and we were amazed to see trees down just outside Walgrave. There was debris all over the road and a man was cutting the branches up. I'm just glad we weren't driving in the storm! To compensate though, there was the most beautiful sunset and the sky was a mixture of peaches, greys and pinks. I couldn't capture any of it on my camera, though, as I was driving!
In the evening we'd planned on going to the Toby Carvery in Northampton to celebrate Mikey's Birthday (his decision, no idea why) but I hadn't booked a table as I thought that we'd just be able to walk in and be seated, even if it meant waiting a little while. However, when we arrived the place looked very busy and we were told (eventually) by a very harried front of house man that there was a thirty minute wait and after that he couldn't guarantee that he'd have any beef or turkey left! What! This is a carvery, for heaven's sake!
We would have been more than happy to wait half an hour but to be told there'd be no meat was ridiculous so we left and drove to the Oriental Paradise in Billing. This restaurant was heaving as well and they had no tables at all. I was beginning to feel very guilty now as I knew I should have booked a table at the Carvery but Mikey didn't seem to mind that his evening was in danger of being ruined. We made one last attempt at dining out by driving to Buddies near Junction 15 of the M1 but they were packed with people so we sat in the services and rang Lee's Express in Brixworth for a Chinese takeaway! Not really what we had planned but Mikey seemed quite happy!
By the time we got back to Brixworth I'd been driving for an hour and I was longing to get home and have something to eat and drink. We'd never been to the actual premises before - they're on an industrial estate on the outskirts of the village - and were amazed to see a long convoy of gritter lorries from the nearby depot making their way out into the night. Maybe it was a good thing we were headed home!
I thought today was mild but we received a shock when we got out of the car and walked into the town! Market Harborough is always windy but today it was really blustery and it was a relief to go into Caffe Nero and have a drink and a cake. Afterwards, while Sophie made her usual visit to New Look I went into Tesco to buy a Birthday cake for Mikey (he'll be 14 tomorrow) and to get some flour as I intend to bake some bread this weekend.
The main point of coming to the town today was to go and see Duncan who was hosting a Burns Night whisky tasting. He had said on Facebook that if you turned up wearing something tartan then you'd get a bigger measure! We obviously made for the Edinburgh Woollen Mill where I managed to bag a Campbell tartan scarf that actually went well with the top I was wearing!
I thought the shop would be busy with people sampling some fine Scottish whiskies but it was pleasantly quiet and we spent a very agreeable half hour tasting (despite the tartan I asked for a small measure as I was driving) and chatting to Duncan and Nick. Duncan had entered into the spirit of things by wearing a kilt and he looked great!
 | |
| Duncan! |
We popped back to the car with our purchases and then walked over to the Joules shop as I wanted another bottle of body wash (Sue had bought me one and I love the fragrance and frothy bubbles) but the shop was closed for refurbishment. Deciding to call it a day we drove home (via Waitrose and Draughton) and I'm glad we did as about twenty minutes after we arrived we had the most violent thunderstorm with torrential rain, hail and strong winds. We saw flashes of lightening and heard booms of thunder which was really strange as I don't think I've ever witnessed a storm like that in winter.
This morning Keith had had a bet using £20 worth of vouchers that Mum and Dad had given him for Christmas. He'd managed to turn the £20 into just over £50 so he was very pleased! We popped over to the shop to claim the money and we were amazed to see trees down just outside Walgrave. There was debris all over the road and a man was cutting the branches up. I'm just glad we weren't driving in the storm! To compensate though, there was the most beautiful sunset and the sky was a mixture of peaches, greys and pinks. I couldn't capture any of it on my camera, though, as I was driving!
In the evening we'd planned on going to the Toby Carvery in Northampton to celebrate Mikey's Birthday (his decision, no idea why) but I hadn't booked a table as I thought that we'd just be able to walk in and be seated, even if it meant waiting a little while. However, when we arrived the place looked very busy and we were told (eventually) by a very harried front of house man that there was a thirty minute wait and after that he couldn't guarantee that he'd have any beef or turkey left! What! This is a carvery, for heaven's sake!
We would have been more than happy to wait half an hour but to be told there'd be no meat was ridiculous so we left and drove to the Oriental Paradise in Billing. This restaurant was heaving as well and they had no tables at all. I was beginning to feel very guilty now as I knew I should have booked a table at the Carvery but Mikey didn't seem to mind that his evening was in danger of being ruined. We made one last attempt at dining out by driving to Buddies near Junction 15 of the M1 but they were packed with people so we sat in the services and rang Lee's Express in Brixworth for a Chinese takeaway! Not really what we had planned but Mikey seemed quite happy!
By the time we got back to Brixworth I'd been driving for an hour and I was longing to get home and have something to eat and drink. We'd never been to the actual premises before - they're on an industrial estate on the outskirts of the village - and were amazed to see a long convoy of gritter lorries from the nearby depot making their way out into the night. Maybe it was a good thing we were headed home!
Friday, 24 January 2014
Neighbourhood watch
I'll be the first to admit I'm a very nosy person! Judging by all the activity next door and the removals van which arrived early this morning, we were due to have new neighbours by the end of the day! I told Keith to be on the lookout and report back to me with any news; it's a good job we don't have net curtains as they would be constantly twitching!
We'll be sad to see Tim and Gill depart as they've been great neighbours over the years (Gill was pregnant with their daughter when they arrived and she'll be 11 in April) and as our houses are close together, it's vital we get on with the new people, especially as I regularly trespass on their land when I park the car! Our back doors face each other so we'll more than likely be seeing each other on a frequent basis.
For us, getting on with our neighbours is of huge importance and we're extremely lucky to not only be on speaking terms with them, but on sociable terms as well, which is a great bonus. It's something that would definitely keep me from moving from this area as the thought of buying a house next door to someone who is a nightmare fills me with absolute dread.
Maybe all the excitement of having someone new next door affected me more than I thought as my session at the gym was not a successful one! I felt great but after doing my exercises on the leg press I stood up and felt a bit light-headed. I went to look out of the big window next to the machine and nearly fell over so I said to Sophie that I'd better sit down...and quick! Luckily there was a very low bench nearby used for stepping exercises so I sat on that and tried to stop myself from passing out. I still had my heart rate monitor on and was alarmed to see my heart rate increase, which had the effect of panicking me even more!
Sophie was a bit concerned about me but the one thing I was worried about was a member of staff coming over to see if I was OK and whisking me off to hospital! I stood up to make my way over to the cardio machines but my heart rate shot up to over 130 so I decided to go back to the changing room and sit down for a wee while.
Looking back I think it was having a fairly big lunch too late in the day (I ate at 2pm) and then getting up from doing strenuous exercise while my blood was probably still trying to digest the meal. This happened to my Dad once when he passed out in our cloakroom at home after having a big dinner. Sophie and I decided to call it a day and go home which was really annoying but I think I made the right decision! I will make an effort to eat early from now on and just have a light sandwich!
Back home I relaxed in our bedroom with Keith and watched Pointless and felt much better. I drove him to the pub and then did very little except prepare dinner. The rain has been torrential this evening and as I write I'm listening to the news with more dire warnings about flooding. Now where did I put that Ark?
We'll be sad to see Tim and Gill depart as they've been great neighbours over the years (Gill was pregnant with their daughter when they arrived and she'll be 11 in April) and as our houses are close together, it's vital we get on with the new people, especially as I regularly trespass on their land when I park the car! Our back doors face each other so we'll more than likely be seeing each other on a frequent basis.
For us, getting on with our neighbours is of huge importance and we're extremely lucky to not only be on speaking terms with them, but on sociable terms as well, which is a great bonus. It's something that would definitely keep me from moving from this area as the thought of buying a house next door to someone who is a nightmare fills me with absolute dread.
Maybe all the excitement of having someone new next door affected me more than I thought as my session at the gym was not a successful one! I felt great but after doing my exercises on the leg press I stood up and felt a bit light-headed. I went to look out of the big window next to the machine and nearly fell over so I said to Sophie that I'd better sit down...and quick! Luckily there was a very low bench nearby used for stepping exercises so I sat on that and tried to stop myself from passing out. I still had my heart rate monitor on and was alarmed to see my heart rate increase, which had the effect of panicking me even more!
Sophie was a bit concerned about me but the one thing I was worried about was a member of staff coming over to see if I was OK and whisking me off to hospital! I stood up to make my way over to the cardio machines but my heart rate shot up to over 130 so I decided to go back to the changing room and sit down for a wee while.
Looking back I think it was having a fairly big lunch too late in the day (I ate at 2pm) and then getting up from doing strenuous exercise while my blood was probably still trying to digest the meal. This happened to my Dad once when he passed out in our cloakroom at home after having a big dinner. Sophie and I decided to call it a day and go home which was really annoying but I think I made the right decision! I will make an effort to eat early from now on and just have a light sandwich!
Back home I relaxed in our bedroom with Keith and watched Pointless and felt much better. I drove him to the pub and then did very little except prepare dinner. The rain has been torrential this evening and as I write I'm listening to the news with more dire warnings about flooding. Now where did I put that Ark?
Thursday, 23 January 2014
Sad news
Keith called me at work this afternoon with some sad news - his niece, who is only a few years older than me, died this morning after a long illness. I first met Janet when Keith and I started going out 26 years ago and she was a real character. She'd just returned from a trip to the US and had a twang to her strong North-East accent! I'm not sure it was real or part of Janet's image but we always got on well over the years and she was a lovely person.
Keith's two nephews run a very successful Plant Hire business which Keith's brother-in-law started years ago and Janet worked with them. At some point when she was much younger she was exposed to asbestos and she's been battling cancer for most of her life. Despite several trips to the US to have treatment it's finally claimed her life and although we knew she was ill, it was a huge shock nonetheless.
It just brings it home to me how precious life is and how it's so important to make the most of every day, even though sometimes life can be stressful and difficult. Who knows what's around the corner?
Keith's two nephews run a very successful Plant Hire business which Keith's brother-in-law started years ago and Janet worked with them. At some point when she was much younger she was exposed to asbestos and she's been battling cancer for most of her life. Despite several trips to the US to have treatment it's finally claimed her life and although we knew she was ill, it was a huge shock nonetheless.
It just brings it home to me how precious life is and how it's so important to make the most of every day, even though sometimes life can be stressful and difficult. Who knows what's around the corner?
Wednesday, 22 January 2014
Getting up a sweat!
Today I felt like I've been chained to my desk, in between printing out yet more photos (good job I have a benevolent employer!) and working my way through various office chores.
Sophie and I were more than ready for the gym after work (it's been a while!) and we both worked hard, doing the full stint on the cross-trainer, the treadmill and the bike. It doesn't seem quite so manically busy now, probably because a lot of New Year's resolutions have worn off! We enjoyed a lovely session in the spa afterwards and a hot shower before we braved the cold conditions outside.
I met Liam in the car park and we had a chat about wine and beer...I have been trying to give up in the week again but the white wines I bought for last Saturday were delicious so I've had to sample them...just for future reference you understand!
Sophie and I were more than ready for the gym after work (it's been a while!) and we both worked hard, doing the full stint on the cross-trainer, the treadmill and the bike. It doesn't seem quite so manically busy now, probably because a lot of New Year's resolutions have worn off! We enjoyed a lovely session in the spa afterwards and a hot shower before we braved the cold conditions outside.
I met Liam in the car park and we had a chat about wine and beer...I have been trying to give up in the week again but the white wines I bought for last Saturday were delicious so I've had to sample them...just for future reference you understand!
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